The invention relates to a carrier tube for sensors for taking measurements in metal or cryolite melts, especially in cast iron, steel, or copper melts.
From German Utility Model No. DE 75 07 605 U1 an insulating sleeve for measurement lances is known, which is formed from a compressed mixture of cellulose and a binding agent. The cellulose material comprises substantially wood fibers or wood chips.
Objects which are pressed or extruded from wood fibers have been known for a long time and are used in daily life as boards in buildings, door leaves, structural elements, insulation, or even as packaging material, and for a whole array of other applications. Such boards and molded parts are known, for example, from International patent application publications WO 90/14935 A1 or from WO 95/04111 A1.
In process measurement technology in metallurgical plants, measurement probes are regularly required in large numbers for continuous testing of the quality of the molten metal. For this purpose, sensors are predominantly used which are immersed into the high-temperature melt. These sensors are consumed after one measurement and are replaced by new sensors for the next measurement. The sensors are typically held on tubes made of cardboard. These tubes are at least partially burned up and are unusable after the measurement.
There is a need for economical carriers for sensors in aggressive high-temperature melts. On the one hand these carriers should exhibit sufficient durability to enable the desired measurement, and on the other hand they should be able to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way.